Tag: Urijah Faber

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC 128

Filed under: UFCIt would be overdramatic and not completely accurate to claim that a star was born in the main event of UFC 128. Jon Jones was already a star, which is why the UFC did a pre-fight special on him after giving the champion, Mauricio ‘Shog…

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It would be overdramatic and not completely accurate to claim that a star was born in the main event of UFC 128. Jon Jones was already a star, which is why the UFC did a pre-fight special on him after giving the champion, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, no such fully-focused push.

But while Jones showed up at the Prudential Center in Newark already a celebrity, it was his domination of Rua that made him an instant colossus in this sport. With that will come a lot of fame, money, and attention — all things that can derail any 23-year-old if he’s not ready for them. Whether this will be one more rule that simply doesn’t apply to Jones as it does to mere mortals, time will tell. For now, he gets to relax and enjoy being champ. He just shouldn’t enjoy it too much, since this title has had a way of slipping through the fingers of his predecessors.

Now on the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between after UFC 128.

UFC Targeting Urijah Faber vs. Dominick Cruz Title Grudge Match

Filed under: UFC, NewsNEWARK, N.J. — Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz are finally getting the fight they want: each other.

UFC president Dana White confirmed that Faber would fight bantamweight champ Cruz after the former’s UFC 128 unanimous decision w…

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NEWARK, N.J. — Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz are finally getting the fight they want: each other.

UFC president Dana White confirmed that Faber would fight bantamweight champ Cruz after the former’s UFC 128 unanimous decision win over Eddie Wineland.

“Yeah, that fight’s going to happen,” White said, though he could offer no timeline on the proposed bout.

UFC 128 Morning After: Urijah Faber Finds a Way to Win

Filed under: UFCYou can learn a lot about a fighter on the days when things aren’t going his way, and we learned a lot about Urijah Faber in his UFC debut.

The first round of Faber’s UFC 128 bout with Eddie Wineland was a frustrating experience for Fa…

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You can learn a lot about a fighter on the days when things aren’t going his way, and we learned a lot about Urijah Faber in his UFC debut.

The first round of Faber’s UFC 128 bout with Eddie Wineland was a frustrating experience for Faber, as nothing worked the way he wanted it to: Wineland took the center of the cage at the start, tied Faber up, pressed him against the cage, and generally did what he wanted to do. When Faber dropped down to get Wineland on the floor, Wineland wouldn’t budge, and he made Faber eat a punch for his efforts. Wineland commanded the first round.

So we saw Faber have to resort to Plan B, and that’s where he shined: Faber found another way to win, and he showed off the scrappy determination that makes him a fan favorite, and now makes him the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s bantamweight division.

UFC 128 Live Blog: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland Round-by-Round Updates

Filed under: UFCNEWARK, NJ — This is the UFC 128 live blog for Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC 128 pay-per-view from the Prudential Center.

Faber (24-4) is a former WEC featherweight champion and put Takeya Mizug…

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Urijah Faber takes on Eddie Wineland at UFC 128.NEWARK, NJ — This is the UFC 128 live blog for Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC 128 pay-per-view from the Prudential Center.

Faber (24-4) is a former WEC featherweight champion and put Takeya Mizugaki to sleep at last November at WEC 52. Wineland (18-6-1) was the first ever WEC bantamweight champion and won his last four WEC fights. Both are making their UFC debuts after successful runs in the WEC.

The live blog is below.

UFC 128 Weigh-In Results

Filed under: UFC, NewsBarely sharing a glance, UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and challenger Jon Jones practically ignored each other during their brief time together at the UFC 128 weigh-ins. Jones, for one, was anxious enough to…

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Barely sharing a glance, UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and challenger Jon Jones practically ignored each other during their brief time together at the UFC 128 weigh-ins. Jones, for one, was anxious enough to leave the stage that he started to leave before being called back to do a brief interview with weigh-in host Joe Rogan.

Saturday night, they’ll have no choice but to engage in a fight that is expected to produce far more fireworks. Both champ and challenger came in at 205 pounds for the main event fight at Newark’s Prudential Center.

“I think certainly Jon Jones is a great fighter,” Rua said afterward. “He also has a lot of experience. But this belt is mine and it will keep being mine.”

Former WEC Champ Eddie Wineland Hoping to Showcase Himself vs. Faber

Filed under: UFCNEWARK, N.J. — Between fights, the rumors came fast and furious for Urijah Faber. Was he going to face Dominick Cruz in a grudge rematch? Was he going to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter? Maybe the UFC would match him up w…

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NEWARK, N.J. — Between fights, the rumors came fast and furious for Urijah Faber. Was he going to face Dominick Cruz in a grudge rematch? Was he going to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter? Maybe the UFC would match him up with a contemporary who once ruled WEC’s bantamweight title, Miguel Torres?

But when the time came, the decision was a wild card: Eddie Wineland.

The response from many fans was one word: Who?

Wineland is arguably one of the most anonymous of the former WEC champions who came over to the UFC, but it’s not for lack of effort or success. The Indiana-based fighter has had memorable knockouts in each of his last two fights, and has captured six of his last seven. By comparison, Faber is 3-3 in his last six fights. Despite that, Wineland is a massive underdog as both bantamweights make their UFC debuts.